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According to reports from Portugal, sources close to Jose Mourinho have rubbished the rumours that the manager left Tottenham Hotspur because of the club’s commitment to the newly-formed European Super League.

With the news of Mourinho’s sacking coming shortly after Tottenham confirmed that they are one of the six Premier League clubs who will be joining the European Super League, rumours began circulating on Twitter that the 58-year-old refused to lead Spurs training because of the club’s decision to join the newly-formed tournament.

However, according to TVI reporter Henrique Marques (via Sport Witness), sources close to Mourinho have revealed these claims are “absolutely false”, with the insiders adding that the manager would never refuse to work with his team.

Transfer Tavern Take

While the news of Mourinho’s sacking certainly came at a surprising time, even without the confirmation from the sources mentioned in the report, Tottenham’s results so far this season are more than enough justification for Daniel Levy to want rid of the 58-year-old.

At present, the north London side occupy a disappointing seventh place in the Premier League table, having also been dumped out of the Europa League last 16 by Dinamo Zagreb, as well as the FA Cup by Everton.

As such, it would very much appear as if the proof was in the pudding for Mourinho prior to his removal as Tottenham manager on Monday.

In other news: Spurs eye £21.75m swoop for 6 ft 5 powerhouse after Levy turns nose up at £36m deal – fine out more here!

Newcastle United are reportedly pressing to sign Kristoffer Ajer from Celtic, according to the Daily Mail.

As per the news outlet, there is also interest from Norwich City for his signature, but a move to St. James’ Park in the summer transfer window appeals to him.

Ajer is currently valued at around £25m by the Hoops, but he could leave for free next summer and sign a pre-contract agreement with another club in the January window, as he only has one year left on his deal at Parkhead.

With that in mind, Steve Bruce’s team want to take him to the North East at the end of the 2020/21 term and will offer the Celts around £8m for his services.

AC Milan have also expressed an interest in signing the Norway international, but he thinks that playing more regular football at the Tyneside club would be an ideal next step in his footballing career.

Newcastle should sign Ajer

The Magpies should definitely look at trying to secure a potentially cut-price deal for Ajer in the summer, given that he only has one year left on his contract with the Bhoys.

Standing at a mammoth six-feet-six-inches tall, the central defender is a giant, and so he should have no problems whatsoever in adapting to the physical demands of the Premier League, assuming that the Toon avoid being relegated down to the Championship come the end of the season of course.

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Former NUFC ace Lee Clark, who managed Ajer during a loan spell at Kilmarnock, branded him as an ‘outstanding’ player back in March, which is very high praise, and the last centre-back to arrive in the Premier League from Celtic didn’t exactly do too badly – just ask Liverpool fans.

Nonetheless, Newcastle should do all that they can to sign the 23-year-old in the summer if a cut-price deal is a possibility due to his contract situation.

In other news, find out what promising insight Lee Ryder has dropped on the takeover consortium here!

Speaking in a Q&A for football.london, reliable Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has dropped an enticing managerial claim involving Fulham boss and ex-Lilywhite Scott Parker.

Parker, who has attracted praise for his job at Craven Cottage despite them fighting relegation, has also been touted as a ‘future England manager’ by former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara (talkSPORT).

Alasdair Gold drops Scott Parker claim

Appearing to be highly rated through the media, one Spurs supporter wondered whether Daniel Levy would ever consider appointing Parker amid the pressure surrounding current boss Jose Mourinho.

Replying to the query, Gold dropped a rather enticing claim on the former Tottenham midfielder.

“He’ll certainly be one for the future if he keeps developing as a manager,” explained Gold.

“He’s got a lot of friends at Spurs, having impressed with the U18s, and they’ll be keeping a close eye on his career.”

Transfer Tavern take

Former Fulham player Jim Hicks, who tutored Parker through his professional coaching license, labelled him as one of the ‘exceptional’ managers he has taught when speaking to the Athletic. 

He has also been heralded by Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola as part of the ‘new generation’ of young English managers who have ‘courage’ to play with a style of ‘pace and organisation’ (Man City club site).

Whilst he is displaying lots of promise, Gold’s claim that he is one for the future is likely an apt prediction – any potential successor for Mourinho, if the Portuguese is given his marching orders, would arguably need more experience at the highest level.

In other news: Tottenham make enquiry to sign £225,000-per-week star, find out more here.

Leeds have been handed a major boost in their chase to sign AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners this summer.

What’s the story?

In a list of options suggested by The Athletic’s Phil Hay as potential cover for Kalvin Phillips, the Dutchman’s name came into the discussion, with the news that he could be set for an exit from Alkmaar when the transfer window opens.

Spanish publication AS have claimed that, as well as fellow Premier League side Liverpool being interested in Koopmeiners, AZ could be willing to let him go for a fee of around £14.5m.

Better bargain than Meslier

Given just how cheaply Leeds bought Illan Meslier on a permanent deal last summer (£5.85m, according to Transfermarkt), that deal is surely up there with being one of Victor Orta’s biggest masterclasses at Elland Road.

In the 1.83m-tall (6 foot) Koopmeiners, the Whites could arguably secure an even better bargain. The valuation on the Dutchman is a major boost for Leeds given what Hay had previously suggested about the midfielder:

“The indications from Holland are that the 23-year-old, who won his first Holland cap in October, is ready for a move and his agent, Bart Baving, told Italian media last month that ‘the time has come for the next move’. However, he will not be cheap and several Italian clubs are monitoring him.”

Described as a “leader” by his former coach Koen Stam, Koopmeiners is AZ’s captain; and as well as being a talented footballer, would be another important voice in the Leeds dressing room if he comes to Yorkshire.

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In some player analysis done by The Athletic, it was suggested: “Koopmeiners has more of an attacking profile than Phillips (something that might fit with Bielsa’s standards of versatility) and there is a lot to like about him. He stands out as a very good all-rounder in top-flight terms: an extremely strong tackler who mirrors Phillips in his constant attempts to look for forward passes rather than lateral balls.

“While the match with Phillips is not perfect, it is close enough to suggest that Koopmeiners is an asset Bielsa could refine with coaching.”

Given the position he plays, and that he appears to be coming in at a much cheaper price than perhaps initially would have been expected, this has all the potential of being another Orta masterclass if Leeds can pull it off.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this 6 foot 3 powerhouse…

As Manchester City chalk up a comfortable 3-0 win at Fulham on the road to a third title in four years, many Sky Blues were left unimpressed by the performance of Benjamin Mendy in what was only his seventh start in the league this season – with one fan even calling him the ‘only useless player’ at Craven Cottage.

Mendy, who was handed an arguably surprising nod by manager Pep Guardiola, debatably looked rusty from the get-go – accumulating the lowest SofaScore rating out of any City starter last night (6.6).

The Frenchman lost possession 16 times and won just one of his five ground duels at Craven Cottage (SofaScore), with some City supporters making their feelings known on social media.

It was a tough first half for City, but they turned out for the second period by immediately opening the scoring, with John Stones on hand to put the Sky Blues in front.

Thereafter, Gabriel Jesus took advantage of a defensive error to round the keeper for City’s second and Sergio Aguero even got on the scoresheet with a well-taken penalty for the concluding third goal.

During the contest, however, it’s clear that several Sky Blues weren’t impressed with Mendy’s showing – find some of their verdicts down below.

Man City fans hammer Mendy

“Mendy is awful”

Credit: @Joecrossley_16

“We need to sell Benjamin Mendy”

Credit: @_mrmrgn

“He’s been absolutely shocking, when was the last ‘good’ Benjamin Mendy performance for City?”

Credit: @AstburyMatt

“Benjamin Mendy…… No composure, can’t retain the ball. Positionally all over the place. I never want to get on a players back but he doesn’t offer anything.”

Credit: @TheDidsburyBlue

“Mendy has an awful first touch”

Credit: @bluecitizen11

“the only useless player today , everyone has made impact except him did nothing

even crossing what is supposed his best thing .. 5 crosses 0% accurcy

he has no place in this city side”

Credit: @kdbszn17

“Mediocre game at best…”

Credit: @Proud_Cityzen

In other news: some Man City fans were excited by this news, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

Diversos nomes de destaque no Brasileirão não foram os reforços que receberam os principais holofotes quando chegaram aos seus clubes neste ano. Listamos dez nomes que tem surpreendido positivamente na temporada. Veja na galeria acima!

Celtic suffered heartbreak in the January transfer window when the tale of Ben Davies took a dramatic last-minute turn.

The defender looked certain to be making the move to Scotland as talks between the two parties reached an agreement. However, some late negotiations from Liverpool coaxed Davies to join the Premier League champions on deadline day.

It looked like a massive loss for Celtic at the time as they have been struggling immensely across their backline this season, leaking 22 goals, some 14 more than the league leaders.

However, Davies is currently out of action due to injury, just weeks after signing for his new club. Liverpool are suffering a similar defensive crisis and this news will have infuriated the fanbase.

In the last two seasons, the 25-year-old has had three recurring hamstring injuries which resulted in him missing a total of 94 days with Preston North End.

For Peter Lawwell, he can feel glad that he didn’t reach into his pocket and splash £1.6million on the centre-half.

The Hoops are limited in their defensive options, especially at centre-back. Shane Duffy has disappointed with his loan spell from Brighton and Christopher Jullien has been injured for a total of 29 matches so far this season, playing next to no role in their holding Premiership campaign, according to Transfermarkt.

Celtic have recruited Jonjoe Kenny on a temporary basis to plug some of their backline leaks.

But it’s not been enough to see the Bhoys to a tenth consecutive title win this season. They have shipped plenty of goals in the league this season as mentioned, which is already more than the 19 they conceded throughout the 2019/20 campaign.

The Glaswegians can return to the transfer market in the summer to hopefully bring in a new defender, but for now, the peace of mind that they didn’t sign the injury-prone Davies will be a weight off Lawwell’s conscience.

In other news, Lennon must prioritise starting Ismaila Soro over Scott Brown…

West Ham United defender Ryan Fredericks was David Moyes’ only silver lining of Tuesday’s FA Cup loss to Manchester United after upstaging Jarrod Bowen at Old Trafford.

Scott McTominay saw that the Irons exited the competition when the substitute dispatched a volley into Lukasz Fabianski’s net seven minutes into extra-time, to break the visitors’ resilience after soldiering one despite two centre-halves sustaining injuries.

The enforced withdrawals of Angelo Ogbonna and the Italian’s replacement Issa Diop saw Moyes introduce Fredericks and Ben Johnson from the bench, with a switch in formation to suit with the Irons forced into a back three that actually improved their performance.

Bowen was the one to make way for Fredericks, who has been a fringe man having made just six starts in all competitions for the Irons this term, to enter the action after providing a quiet opening 45 minutes. The withdrawn attacker rarely had an opportunity to break forward and threaten Alex Telles and was instead forced to help Vladimir Coufal in defence.

But Fredericks made an instant impact, with his injection of pace and willingness to adventure further up the pitch often forcing Telles to retreat into positions where the £3.5m-rated dynamo could deliver crosses into Dean Henderson’s box.

Moyes only saw Bowen attempt one cross into the Red Devils’ penalty area, per SofaScore, and take a mere six touches inside the host’s territory before his exit after 45 minutes, per WhoScored, while frequently pocketed by Telles, Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic on the Hammers’ right-flank.

That was rarely the case for Fredericks, who recorded four crosses and 33 touches in United’s half, compared to 14 in West Ham’s.

He additionally won six of his seven ground duels on the side of the pitch that saw Bowen lose two of his three, to see that Telles could not boast a perfect record when he was withdrawn after 90 minutes with success in three of seven challenges.

The former Fulham full-back was even successful with each of his two attempted dribbles after Bowen had failed to drag possession up the field even once in the first-half, having performed below his usual standards of 1.1 successful runs a game with a 60% success rate in the Premier League this term.

Fredericks’ efforts further came from only 30 minutes extra than Bowen and eclipsed the former Hull City winger’s seasonal league average for ground duels won, with the 24-year-old having won 3.0 a game over his 23 outings in the top-flight to date.

The only silver lining Bowen could take from Fredericks’ efforts was that his accuracy from crosses was on par with his seasonal score of 1.0 accurate deliveries with a 26% success rate in the league. But Moyes can overlook that, as Fredericks’ positives far outweighed the negatives.

AND in other news, West Ham will have to pay in excess of £26.5m to land a prolific 18 goal striker in the summer…

حصل لاعب فريق ليفربول أندي روبرتسون على بطاقة حمراء في المباراة الجارية حاليًا ضد توتنهام، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب توتنهام هوتسبر مباراة الفريقين في قمة منافسات الجولة الثامنة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي.

روبرتسون تدخل بشكل عنيف على قدم إيمرسون وأعطاه الحكم بطاقة صفراء في الدقيقة 75، ثم قام حكم تقنية الفيديو بإخبار حكم الساحة بوجود خطأ ليعود الحكم إلى تقنية الفيديو.

وبعد مشاهدة اللقطة، قرر إلغاء قراره بالبطاقة الصفراء وأشهر البطاقة الحمراء في وجه روبرتسون بسبب التدخل العنيف على البرازيلي. طرد روبرتسون في مباراة ليفربول وتوتنهام

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي إلى التعادل الإيجابي بين الفريقين بهدفين لمثليهما.

When West Ham brought Tomas Soucek to East London last January, it’s safe to say that not many eyebrows were raised.

The Irons were creeping into a relegation dog fight so on paper, signing an unknown quantity probably wasn’t the best of ideas.

However, the Czech Republic international has turned into a star and has cemented himself as one of the first names on the team sheet.

Indeed, it’s a testament to his play that he’s managed to secure that tag, especially when the Hammers have Declan Rice at their disposal too.

Soucek was signed on an initial loan deal but after scoring three goals in the second half of last season, David Moyes made the move permanent.

The fee West Ham paid was a mere snip, as they splashed out £15m on a midfielder who has become one of the most dominant in the Premier League. After bringing him back to the London Stadium, Soucek has racked up five goals in 19 top-flight outings this term.

It’s a brilliant record for a player in his position but it’s not just his goals that have made this a dream deal.

The 25-year-old has nearly doubled his value in the space of six months and is now rated at £27m via Transfermarkt, putting in combative performances from West Ham’s central areas.

He is a rampaging force, using his wiry frame to hurdle towards the penalty area for a late arrival, or just race back and recover possession for his team.

In 2020/21, Soucek has won a colossal 6.1 aerial duels per game. That’s a tally that usurps every single player at West Ham. Furthermore, he’s strong in the challenge and has won 1.7 tackles a match. For context, only Rice, Vladimir Coufal and Fabian Balbuena have won more.

For a modern midfield player, he is perfect. The Czech born star finds himself all over the pitch, sweeping up loose balls before setting up an attack.

Based on his performances, it’s hardly a surprise to see he’s earned some rave reviews. Danny Mills typified his qualities earlier this term, saying: “I think we’re starting to see a real top-quality midfield player who gets into the box.”

Alex McLeish issued similar sentiments, claiming: “There has been some fantastic recruitment, Soucek has been an absolute steal.

“Soucek is playing out of his skin, he came from Czech Republic, Coufal too – two great acquisitions and with the other players West Ham have got, Moyes has done a great job there.”

It’s hard to argue with those assessments. He has the highest expected goals tally of anyone in the squad – 4.6 – and he makes the most ball recoveries in the side – 12.3 per game.

Soucek also ranks third-highest for progressive passes in the side (2.89 per game) while he presses the opposition 14.3 times a match – again the third-highest tally when assessing Moyes’ players.

The midfielder was nowhere close to being a marquee addition but he has turned out to be one of their most important acquisitions in years.

He is imperative to their play and has been vitally important to their turnaround this season.

AND in other news, “Another Antonio” – Exclusive: Harewood backs potential West Ham move for £13.3m beast…